Heavy rain triggers flood alert in Gujarat, almost 25,000 evacuated

It has been learnt that almost 25,000 people have been evacuated from the affected districts by military and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with the Air Force on standby to evacuate people.

&nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspIndiatimes, Representative Image

Gujarat: Heavy rains over the past few days in the central and northern parts of Gujarat has triggered a high alert in the state, as more 20 highways in the state have been inundated.

It has been learnt that almost 25,000 people have been evacuated from the affected districts by military and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with the Air Force on standby to evacuate people. As per information from the meteorological department, heavy rainfall is expected to continue up to July 29.

Waterlogging on tracks forced the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express to return to Ahmedabad from Mehsana. While teams of National Disaster Response Force, and other rescue agencies are at work, the Air Force has been kept on stand-by to evacuate people. In the evening, more rescue workers were sent into the affected areas. Heavy rains are expected till July 29.

The rains, which roughly began four days ago, have affected several places including Banaskantha, Rajkot, Ahmedabad, Morbi, Gandhinagar, Kutch, Mehsana and Valsad. Out of the total 25,000, approximately 11,000 people have been evacuated from Banaskantha.

Various parts of the state, especially north Gujarat and Saurashtra, have been badly affected and over a dozen NDRF teams have been stationed to tackle further aggravation of the situation. More than six additional teams have been sent to the affected areas.

Rescue workers are working hard to save the people stranded in the flooded areas, and the concentration of security workers is most in Banaskantha district.

Even railway services have been affected as the track between Ahmedabad and Delhi has been inundated too. On one occasion, the Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express had to return to Ahmedabad from Mehsana due to the track-flooding.

The Indian Air Force is also actively taking part in the rescue operations, and there have been sporadic cases where people have been airlifted from flooded regions. Yesterday, the IAF helped evacuate a woman who had just given birth to two twins, apart from another pregnant woman in Rajkot district.

The situation in Gujarat has been further aggravated by heavy downpour in Rajasthan, thus leading to a critical flood. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, after conducting an aerial survey of a few regions, declared a high alert. More than 70 people have died in the state due to rain-related incidents.

The State Emergency Operations Centre has confirmed that fact that Gujarat has received almost 56.61 per cent of total predicted rainfall, with almost half the rainy season left.

Gujarat is, however, not the only state that is witnessing a flood crisis; rains have also triggered a sense of chaos in other states such as West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. A few days ago, the state of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh were also in the news for heavy flood, but the situation has improved in the north eastern states.

Heavy rain triggers flood alert in Gujarat, almost 25,000 evacuatedDescription:It has been learnt that almost 25,000 people have been evacuated from the affected districts by military and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), with the Air Force on standby to evacuate people. Times Now